Interrogation

Joseph sat waiting, in a room only 2 and half metres in all dimensions. Four soldiers stood in each corner with their weapons in hand and were prepared for anything. Joseph had been escorted here as soon as he had woken up and had been put into a chair on one side of a table in the centre of the room.

Eventually, a door on the other side of the room to Joseph retracted into the wall and Demitri slid in with his back to Joseph. He spun around to face Joseph with a look of pure joy which slowly turned into a slightly more confused expression.

"Nobody? Nobody get the reference? Oh come on people! I spent ages thinking of that entrance and even pulled it off first try. Do you know how hard it is to slide on these floors? They're even designed to prevent sliding!" complained Demitri. "You know what, never mind. Let's just get to business shall we?" Demitri pulled out a chair on his side of the table and sat down. He leaned in so close that there was barely a couple of inches between them.

"Between you and me, our little fight at that festival was the most fun I've had in decades. And I've had a LOT of play toys in that time." Joseph leaned away from Demitri and looked at the wall on his right. He traced the dents in the metal and followed the cracks in the beige that somehow lingered. Demitri sighed, leaned back in his chair, and pondered for a moment.

"Make this easier for both of us Joe. We know you're able to build a void engine because we've already secured that island of yours along with your lab. Our problem is that we can't safely take the void engine out of your lab to use for our purposes. SO, we need you to build us a new one." requested Demitri. Joseph turned his attention to his hands bolted to the table with a pair of large metal hand cuffs and began flicking his thumbs together.

"Let me guess, you're not gonna talk unless you know that those two brats are safe... TOO BAD! Because now, you're in my territory! We go by MY rules! No more promises." Demitri nodded at the soldier closest to the door who opened it. Joseph continued to look down at his thumbs as a pair of feet entered the room and the door closed.

"Hey Joseph." said a voice. Joseph instantly recognised Amy's voice and looked up immediately. Amy stood beside Demitri with her hair tied back in a tight ponytail, with her eyes glowing purple, and wore a dark nebula uniform. "You should really help the nice man" as Amy spoke, Demitri's lips mouthed the same words like a bad ventriloquist as he controlled Amy.

"Stop." pleaded Joseph quietly.

"Why Joseph, he just wants to make the universe a better place?" said Amy and Demitri.

"I said stop!" ordered Joseph. The soldiers in the room swiftly pointed their guns at Joseph as the metal handcuffs strained. Demitri flicked up one of his fingers and Amy punched Joseph with a left hook. Joseph stopped and the soldiers returned to how they were previously.

"My control over this body is only going to grow as you continue to waste my time. Waste too much, and this is permanent. I'd say you have at most a week before that happens." explained Amy and Demitri.

"A can't build a void engine in a week!"

"Oh, don't worry you'll have the best tools and builders from across the galaxy to help you. So, I'll take that as you agreeing to my proposition?"

"What about Aniello?"

Demitri smiled and sent Amy out of the room.

"He's not under my jurisdiction. But build the void engine and everything will work out just fine... for both of us." Demitri extended his hand to within reached of Joseph's who gripped it tightly and shook it. "Show him to his new workshop."

The two soldiers behind Joseph inserted a key each into the corners of the table and the hand cuffs released Joseph. He stood up and new restraints were wrapped around his wrists behind his back. The soldiers escorted him once again through multiple corridors until they reached a large open room.

Many people of many different species lined up at the sides with many tables carrying tools in front of them. A pile of curved metal beams layed in the corner and many other materials lay in another. Everybody in the room turned and looked at Joseph as his restraints were removed and the soldiers joined possibly hundreds of others stationed on a walkway above.

"Get to work!" yelled a soldier.